Why Pedro Pascal starring in The Last of Us could mean we see less of him in The Mandalorian

Pedro Pascal face The Mandalorian — (Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Pedro Pascal has nabbed the lead role of Joel in HBO's The Last Of Us series – but that might mean we don't see as much of him in The Mandalorian.

Deadline broke the news of Pascal's casting and said that, while the actor will carry on with the Star Wars spin-off, the HBO series "has him in first position."

As Collider points out, this could have ramifications for Pascal's appearances as Mando. "First position" means that The Last Of Us comes before any other TV show Pascal is involved in. So, if there's any kind of schedule clash between The Last Of Us and The Mandalorian, the HBO show comes first.

This definitely doesn't mean Pascal has to step away from his role as the intergalactic gunslinger. Pascal provides the voice for the mostly–masked Din Djarin, and it's not always actually him under the helmet – in fact, Bryce Dallas Howard told Vulture she didn't work with Pascal at all in season 1 episode 4, which she directed.

Creator Jon Favreau confirmed that The Mandalorian season 3 is happening and that we'll be "back with the main character that we all have known and loved" – unless he's talking about Baby Yoda, it's a safe bet to say this means Pascal's rendition of Din will return. With Mando's face pretty much permanently covered up, with a handful of exceptions, Pascal can record his dialogue while someone else stands in as the physical gunslinger on set.

Of course, we don't actually know if The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us will have a scheduling conflict at all – there's no word on when the HBO video game adaptation goes into production, but the third installment of The Mandalorian is expected in 2022, and will probably start filming sometime this year.

While we wait for more Mando, and to see Pascal's turn as Joel, check out our roundup of the best video game movies of all time, as well as our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies headed our way.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.